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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26400049">Deleted Scenes from Marauders 12</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/NotQuiteHydePark/pseuds/NotQuiteHydePark'>NotQuiteHydePark</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hamilton - Miranda, New Mutants (Comics), X-Men (Comicverse)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bisexual Female Character, Coming Out, F/F, First Kiss, Humor, Metafiction, Pirates, Polyamory Negotiations, Songfic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 07:07:46</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,437</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26400049</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/NotQuiteHydePark/pseuds/NotQuiteHydePark</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“They just want excuses to talk about you, backpack.”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Emma Frost/Kitty Pryde, Kitty Pryde/Illyana Rasputin, Kitty Pryde/Rachel Summers</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Deleted Scenes from Marauders 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I can’t believe this is happening,” says Kate. She looks around at the clusters of unfamiliar mutants, some child-size, some adult and some in between, then down at her hands, and at her reflection in Emma’s improbably shiny leotard. </p><p>“I haven’t had hair this curly, or had this triangular chin, since Cockrum,” Kate continues. “I think I like it. Given that I look the way I looked when I was fifteen and you kidnapped me, should I believe you’ll keep on calling me Kate?”</p><p>“Believe it,” Emma Frost responds. “This way. Your friends await, Red Queen.”</p><p>A few panels later Kate encounters, as Emma explains, “the mutants you helped bring home to Krakoa.” They’re all shapes and heights and many clothing styles, but all of them wear the same yellow-tan, like a Star Trek uniform. Behind them are a dozen camera lenses and TV screens, hovering in midair, suspended from what Kate thinks is a helicopter and then realizes is Warlock.</p><p>“Selffriend provides video uplink to other-Earth readerfriends who have been waiting for Katemoment like this one for wholeselflives,” Warlock explains. “Manymany Katefriends Zoom in. Self finds it hard to generate bandwidth capable of keeping up.”</p><p>Kate looks at Warlock’s expanding eyes, at Warlock’s wiry, toothy smile. The techno-organic mutant from Kvch goes on, “Many readerfriends especially hopeful from Earth-1218. One says selffriendKate comingout is better than flame on.”</p><p>Now Kate looks baffled. “I know Johnny Storm is bisexual, but why would anybody compare him to me?”</p><p>“Apologies selffriendKate!” Warlock says. “Not flame on. Readerfriend says this is better than FlameCon.”</p><p>Emma and Kate nod knowingly.  Thundercracks overhead announce the descent of Storm for the sweetest reunion in any mutant comic anywhere, at least since Uncanny 522.</p><p>Another full-page panel shows Kate and Emma excitedly riding horses together along a smooth beach, exactly as if they were sharing a tropical honeymoon.</p><p>“When did we get horses?” Kate asks. Her horse is pure white, to contrast with her red gown and to suggest a wedding; Emma’s is black, to set off her White Queen wear. Her diamond-pattern leotard shines in the evening sun. </p><p>“I grew up rich in Boston, so naturally riding was my first love,” Emma responds. She explains that her family money paid for the horses she’s brought to Krakoa, which she intends to breed. </p><p>A rare thought balloon rises over Kate’s head. “I think she’s still trying to make up for Butter Rum.”</p><p>That night Emma brings Kate to an A-list party with Storm and Bobby and Pyro, Bishop and Callisto and Logan and more.</p><p> “What’d I miss?” she asks, making her grand entrance. “What’d I miss? Krakoa my home sweet home, I want to give you a kiss!”</p><p>“Please do,” says Rachel, leaning forward..</p><p>“Shhh! It’s a reference,” says Bobby.</p><p>“I know,” Rachel answers.</p><p>But Kate isn’t done. “I’ve been with pirates meeting lots of different ladies,” she almost sings. “I guess I basically missed the late Eighties. I traveled the wide, wide world and came back to this!”</p><p>“I miss the late Eighties too,” Rachel goes on. Bobby shushes her again. Kate kisses Rachel anyway.</p><p>[Gerry—I know that’s what everyone wants but we’re gonna make them wait for it, wait for it. Draw it out. You can’t give the fans everything they want all at once. –JDW]</p><p>[Jordan-- Haven’t they too been waiting since the late Eighties? Anyway, what’s with the Hamilton references all of a sudden? Who do you think you are, Aaron Burr? –Gerry]</p><p>[Gerry—Don’t let them know what you’re against or what you’re for. –JDW]</p><p>Illyana pops out of a portal with a mariachi band. They’re singing a contemporary Mexican pop hit whose title translates to “Smuggled,” or possibly “Contraband” or “Covertly.” It’s about a love that has to stay secret for a long time. It is not a mariachi song.</p><p>“Kate,” Illyana exclaims, rushing towards her first best friend. “Kitttty!” She tackles Kate, who looks stunned, then happy, and nearly pushes Kate to the ground.  They share a sloppy, rapid, passionate kiss.</p><p>[Gerry—No. Too soon. –JDW]</p><p>The mariachi band switches into “(I’ve Fallen in Love With My) Best Friend,” by Ingrid Michaelson, segues into an improbable version of “Rebel Girl” by Bikini Kill, then finishes up with “It’s Nice to Have a Friend” by Taylor Swift. “Let’s take this somewhere more comfortable,” says Illyana.</p><p>[Gerry—Sorry, still no. The brass won’t let us. Didn’t I say we have to make them wait for it? –JDW]</p><p>Sebastian Shaw towers over the pair, interrupting their tryst like the shadow of patriarchal heteronormativity that he is. His grim sideburns take on a life of their own as he offers Kate—whom he’s recently murdered—a bottle of quality whiskey.</p><p>Kate hugs him as if to say thank you: over his shoulder, we see her reach down his back as if planting a bug, or a microphone, or a tiny bomb, inside his body.</p><p>“I can’t rest,” Kate thinks, “until I’ve fixed what’s broken. Like my best friend’s heart.” </p><p>She grabs said best friend’s arm. “I need to bounce,” she says. “The Marauder. Then food.”</p><p>41 hours later Kate and Illyana stand outside the tattoo place from Marauders 2. Each holds a half-finished hamburger. Kate’s has no cheese. “Do you think they’ll shut up about whether I’m observant now?” Kate asks, fingering her Magen David necklace. “I mean, I have literally never kept kosher. My parents didn’t keep kosher either. I’m so tired of all this gatekeeping.”</p><p>“Gatekeeping sucks,” Illyana agrees. “They just want excuses to talk about you, backpack.”</p><p>“Is that your new favorite name for me?” Kate teases back.</p><p>“It is, backpack. Speaking of gatekeeping, are you sure you don’t need me to come back for you?”</p><p>“I’m good from here. I don’t break through barriers; I ignore them.” Kate’s hand disappears off panel.</p><p>“Hey! We’re in public!”</p><p>“Never stopped you before,” Kate smiles. This time we see her hugging Illyana, both her hands in view. “You should get on the boat sometime.”</p><p>“Backpack, I’ve been on the boat the whole time.” Illyana winks. “Are you about to invite someone else aboard?”</p><p>“You know it,” quips Kate.</p><p>[Gerry—you realize you’re just inviting a ship war with this one. –JDW]</p><p>[If it takes fighting a ship war to get these two together it will have been worth it. –Gerry]</p><p>[Matteo: the important thing in the next scene is that the cute tattoo artist look as much like Illyana as possible. Bangs, long straight blond hair, and ideally buns where the horned headpiece should be, and a monochrome outfit. –Gerry]</p><p>Two pages later our nameless, cute, friendly tattoo artist, apparently expert in her trade, tells Kate, “You’re all set. Was this your first time coming back from the dead?”</p><p>“Not exactly,” Kate replies. “But technically yes. You wouldn’t believe how thirsty a girl can get.”</p><p>“I’d believe it,” says the cute tattoo artist. “I’m thirsty myself. You know how to take care of it?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Kate replies, and kisses the girl, unmistakably, full on the lips, eyes closed. It’s the next step after forty years of subtext and Kate knows exactly what she’s doing. She’s beautiful and newly confident and she knows that too. You can see her eyelids, her eyelashes, her cheeks. She’s glowing. For the other girl it’s a good kind of surprise.</p><p>Afterwards Kate looks up at the ceiling, as if at a security camera. Her eyes are wide and her lips are slightly parted in another panel that takes up the width of the page.</p><p>The next panel shows Warlock, who has been standing in for the security camera. “Selffans ask Katefriend for more kissing girls as soon as possible, Katefriend. Selfsoulfriend Doug indicates uncertainty as to who Kate intends to kiss next.”</p><p>“Wait for it,” Kate tells everyone’s techno-organic pal. “Have to knock off a symbol for the patriarchy first.” She’s actually yawning, as if to say she, too, is sick of gatekeepers and corporate rules about what she can’t do on panel.</p><p>“Selffans deny ability to wait for it, wait for it,” Warlock says, glitching slightly.</p><p>Kate Pryde exhales. “They will never be satisfied.”</p><p>Behind her, as she strolls to the harbor, seen in a series of narrow, expanding panels, gatherings of fans all over the multiverse set off miraculously quiet fireworks, first blue and silver, for her Excalibur costume, then red for the Red Queen, then in three bold sunset stripes for the bisexual pride flag. Lockheed rejoins her, resplendent in lavender around her shoulders.  Kate stands up proud—but never straight—as if to make her queer mark on the sky.</p>
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